COOKIES

Double Chocolate Espresso Biscotti … Eating Your Words!

“Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.”
Jessi Lane Adams
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Some time back I received a beautiful parcel from Asha, or the FSK gal as I call her, a NYC blogger who blogs at Fork-Spoon-Knife. There was so much excitement in my little boys’ life when the parcel arrived. He was besides himself with joy to see the contents. Some fab fresh ground coffee beans from Picollo Cafe, and a charming bottle of aged balsamic vinegar! A huge chunk of time went in the boy trying to sniff out coffee flavours, and every so often he would look at the coffee and ask me when I’d make something with it?

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The time came this week. I wanted to bake something, and it felt like biscotti time. My eyes wandered around the bookshelf for a cookie book, but instead latched onto my precious package of coffee staring at me. Asha said she saw a quaint little cafe while strolling around the streets of NYC, instantly thought of my love for all things coffee, and bought some beans for me. Thank you Asha! I loved your wonderful gift!

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It was Google time for coffee biscotti and I landed up at a coffee loaded site/forum called ‘Coffee Snobs. It was an instant connect. I’m not a coffee snob but I sure love my coffee; and this seemed like the place for me. This recipe is adapted from one I found in the threads shared there by one of the members there.
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Adaptations? With the use of alternative grains gaining ground in the cuilnary world, I thought  of using some buckwheat flour. A while ago I made some nice Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies using a 101 Cookbooks recipe, so I decided to include some in the biscotti too. A small reduction in the ground coffee beans and sugar, a little increase in butter, and these Italian cookies were baking in next to no time.
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The aromas and the flavours filled the house – Coffee Coffeee Coffeeeeeee …. every breath I took. The biscotti sliced beautifully and baked to crisp perfection. This is a nice adult biscotti for all you coffee lovers out there. Once made, I thought it would taste even better dipped into some melted dark chocolate. The result was ULTIMATE COFFEE & BISCOTTI NIRVANA!

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One crunchy bite later, and I was convinced that buckwheat was meant for this! Buckwheat flour has a beautiful nutty flavour, and lent all it’s goodness to this crisp twice baked cookie. I hesitatingly offered a biscotti each to the kids, knowing that it would be too coffee-ish and probably less sweet for them! Just to prove me wrong, they loved it a LOT! For those of you who don’t love coffee, I have worked out a non-coffee variant and shall post that soon!
recipe+main

Double Chocolate Espresso Biscotti
Recipe adapted from Coffee Snobs
2tbsps ground coffee beans
40ml espresso(os dark coffee concentrate)
140g butter
180g vanilla sugar
2 small eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
200g plain flour
70g buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 sachet vanilla sugar to sprinkle on top
100gms dark chocolate, melted 

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Method:

Preheat oven to 170 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Stir in the ground coffee powder into the espresso. Stand aside. (I didnt have espresso so used a strong coffee concentrate).
Sift buckwheat flour, plain flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.
Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs, vanilla and coffee mix.
Stir in flour mix and fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Shape into two equal logs 35 cm x 5 cm, about 1.5 cm high, on baking paper or greased tray (easiest done with wet hands). Sprinke the logs over with vanilla sugar.
Bake 25 minutes until lightly browned, cool 5 mins. Cut into slices using a bread knife (add no pressure, let the knife do the work).

Rebake slices at 160C until dry, approx 10 minutes.

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♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

In case you are wondering what the atempted scribbling on the biscotti is all about, it’s for Eating Your Words‘Write, spell or draw’ using food or drink. A fun challenge hosted by Savor The Thyme and Tangled Noodle. The biscotti offered the perfect canvas for some chocolate doodling! My original idea was to do write on some macarons for Le Mac de Jour for Mac Attack5, but it didn’t materialise at all!
Eating Your Words Badge 2010
As if the challenge itself and the prize was not enough, the 2 lovely ladies have asked Chef Andrew Zimmern of Bizaare Foods on The Travel Channel to decide the winner for the challenge!! This is my entry for the challenge, and a pretty addictive one it turned out to be. The kids had a field day choosing the words they wanted to eat!
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About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

44 Comments

  • RJ Flamingo

    Oh, Deeba! You did this just for me, didn't you?!? I'll put coffee in just about anything, and what's more appropriate than biscotti!

  • Sue Sparks

    WOW! AMAZING photographs…the chocolatey goodness just jumps off the page!!! BTW, I also love your "Ode to blogbakers" 🙂

  • Nalini Hebbar

    Sounds good…loved the biscotii…and the pansies…the photos just jump out of the frame!!!WOW

  • MaryMoh

    That looks fabulous, Deeba! I'd have great fun dipping into my favourite coffee. Love the beautiful writings on top.

  • Trissa

    Asha is lovely isnt she? What a beautiful way to celebrate her gift! It sounds delicious especially with the addition of buckwheat flour!

  • Suma

    Divine! I can smell the biscotti!!
    What can be used as a substitute for buckwheat? Can an equal quantity of instant coffee be used in place of the coffee beans Deeba?

  • Shabs..

    I have been making lots of bicotti these days and we just love it….havent made with chocolate flavour though….

  • Tangled Noodle

    Oh, Deeba! Sometimes, I can't leave a comment because your creations render me wordless, except for "Wow!" These biscotti are spectacular, especially as you put your own special mark on them. I am definitely a coffee person and am sipping a cup as I read (although now, I wish I had one of these to dip) Buckwheat flour sounds great – do you think it's best for cookies & breads mainly, or would it work on something more cake-y?

    Your photos are so gorgeous but I know these treats are even better in reality. Thank you so much for entering our contest!

  • Cecilia

    I dearly love your photographs–and the subject matter looks quite delicious. I've not baked with buckwheat flour yet–have used it for pancakes–and look forward to trying it in one of my favorite cookies of all time (that and the American Girl Sout Cookie called Thin Mints).

  • HoneyB

    I am a lover of coffee too – as I sit here drinking some of my very favorite locally roasted & ground coffee 🙂 Don't think I'm a snob about it but probably some would say I am as I am very choosy about what I will drink 🙂

    I love your photos and the recipe….also, thank you for the link!!

  • Peter M

    Chocolate and caffeine, nothing better when you want to bounce off the walls all day! The photos ooze decadence.

  • Bellini Valli

    The kids would be in second heaven with these coffee flavoured treats. What better way to have coffee flavoured biscotti but dipped in coffee:D

  • Anonymous

    I really like the look of these biscotti. They look nice and nutty. And I love the words! Good luck, hope you win.

  • Snooky doodle

    oh!! I fell in love with these. I love coffee and chocolate combo. You re the best 🙂

  • Madhuli

    yum yum..drooling..:) love the ethnic looking teapot!couldn't find buckwheat flour here..will try the biscotti without it!:(

  • MeetaK

    just imagining the two of us sitting and chatting (in hindi) and indulging in some of these – and eating our words. lovely flavors!

  • Soulcurry

    How much I love Biscotti with my coffee…and if it has coffee in it…cant imagine how many I will eat…

  • Divina Pe

    Deeba, these are gorgeous and perfect. You just made the best coffee biscotti, which are the best of both worlds. Can you send me some? 🙂

  • elra

    Wow, this are really pretty treats Deeba. Love those neat writing and decor on each of them.

  • Sarah, Maison Cupcake

    Eating your words sounds fun! I've never made biscotti before but I was reading about it the other day and they're on my must do list.

    Lovely gift from Asha too!

  • Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

    Deeba, do you know those cartoons where the creature stares at something amazing with its eyues bulging and tongue hanging out? That was me and that picture of the liquid chocolate on the end of the biscotti. So delicious Deeba! 😀

  • shayma

    deeba, such a beautiful treat. i'd love to have one with my tea right now in the morning. i love biscotti, they remind me of 'rusk', which my mamma loves. gorgeous photos, too. x shayma

  • Manggy

    When I saw the first picture I just knew this was for an eating your words post. These are so cute!

  • Sweet Cottage Dreams

    Yum!!!! I love trying new biscotti recipes and will be putting yours to the test. Buckwheat flour, eh? Sounds great! I can taste them already! Coffee always enhances chocolate so these have to be devine! Like you, I LOVE good coffee. The darker the better.

    🙂 Becky

  • Rambling Tart

    Oh Deeba, your photos are so exquisitely beautiful they almost hurt my eyes. 🙂 So clear and real, I feel as if I'm right there with you. I'm using buckwheat flour a lot lately, and these look amazing. 🙂

  • Michelle

    The only way I ever eat biscotti is dipped in a hot cup of coffee heavily laced with cream! Yummy!

  • Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes]

    The biscotti look great, D!! I've been meaning to participate in the event too, I totally forgot till I read your post 😛

  • gfe--gluten free easily

    Stunning photos! I love that you include so many. Really beautiful entry for the challenge. Now I want a cup of tea and chocolate espresso biscotti … even if it's dinner time. 😉

    Shirley

  • Book Search

    This is really interesting, You are an overly professional blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and sit up for searching for more of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks

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